🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨

The Desertas Islands (Madeira, Portugal) are the sole home of one of the largest and rarest wolf spider species worldwide, Hogna ingens. The Desertas Wolf Spider has a legspan of up to 13 centimeters and a body of around 4 centimeters. It is Europe’s largest spider. Hogna Ingens is easily recognizable thanks to the white poke-dots on the legs.

In the absence of native terrestrial mammals, this spider is a top predator in its small habitat, and although its major prey consists of other invertebrates, such as the staphylinid beetle Ocypus olens or the invasive millipede Ommatoiulus moreleti, adults have even been seen predating on juveniles of the lizard, Lacerta dugesii mauli.